May 2, 2016: Ted Cruz, Most Reviled Candidate in History?

A Brief History

The end of April 2016 saw the campaign of Rafael Eduardo “Ted” Cruz sink to new lows, some of the wounds self inflicted and some from his own fellow Republicans.

Digging Deeper

Considered the “Most Hated Man in The Senate,” In February 2016 Cruz was said by Senator Lindsey Graham to be so hated that if “you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody would convict you.”

As much as politicians publicly “hate” each other, this remark was a rare step into a dark place even for them, especially from Senators in the same political party. Graham may have been outdone by former Speaker of the House John Boehner, who on April 28, 2016 called Ted Cruz “Lucifer in the flesh” and “I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life.”

Remember, this quotation is from a man that was the highest ranking Republican in the US Government, second in line to assume the presidency after the Vice President!

Cruz did his campaign no apparent favor when he made a desperate bid to claw his way back into contention after his disastrous performance in the April 26 primaries that saw him lose all 5 races by landslides, including 3rd place finishes in 4 of the 5 races. The ill advised move was to plot with also ran candidate John Kasich to subvert the nomination process by splitting the remaining primaries between the 2 candidates, each agreeing to campaign only in states the other would avoid. This undemocratic move, while not illegal, was so underhanded that the public, media, and fellow politicians jumped on Cruz for attempting such an underhanded ploy. Time will tell how badly this move backfires on the pair of hapless candidates.

The final self-inflicted wound perpetrated by the Cruz Campaign was to name Carly Fiorina as the Vice Presidential running mate should Cruz manage to steal the nomination at the Republican Convention in July. Fiorina, a miserable failure as a Presidential candidate and as CEO of Hewlett–Packard where she was fired for driving the company nearly to ruin is a weird choice indeed. Cruz generated scorn, disdain, and jokes from campaign opponent Donald Trump, the media, fellow politicians and comedians. The running joke became speculation as to whom Cruz would name as his potential cabinet members next.

In a slam dunk put down of all Republican candidates (which includes Cruz), billionaire business man and political manipulator Charles Koch publicly speculated that Hillary Clinton may be the best Presidential candidate for conservative voters, a crushing blow to Ted Cruz who fancies himself as the most conservative of the candidates.

The Indiana primary on May 3, 2016 is a “must win” for Cruz, and ominously he is trailing frontrunner Trump by several points in polls, and now has the above fiascoes to overcome as well. Cruz told John Kasich to give up his campaign when Kasich became mathematically eliminated from a first ballot nomination, and these words now haunt Cruz who himself is now virtually excluded from such a nomination. Obviously, he is not heeding his own advice (politicians pretty much never do!) and is banking on somehow making a bid for the nomination at a contested convention.

Question for students (and subscribers): Should Ted Cruz give up his hopeless bid for the Republican nomination and support presumptive nominee Donald Trump, or should he fight to the bitter, party dividing end? Please share your opinions on the subject in the comments section below this article.

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